WHEREAS, Regional Association VI of the World Meteorological Organisation (“WMO”), as a step towards the establishment of the new WMO Information System (“WIS”), has created a project for the development of a prototype Global Information System Centre (“GISC”);

WHEREAS, the Parties agreed in 2009 to join their efforts to develop a software solution (“OpenWIS”), which shall permit Meteorological centres to connect to the WIS;

WHEREAS, in 2011, the Parties agreed in principle to create the OpenWIS Association in order to maintain, further develop and licence the OpenWIS® software. Such Association was introduced to WMO during WMO Congress under the name of “OpenWIS Consortium”;

WHEREAS, on 7th February 2013, the Parties resolved that the OpenWIS Association should take legal form and that each Party should take an equal share in the OpenWIS Association, in order to strengthen and further the development and achievements of the association;

WHEREAS, the Parties entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on 20th December 2013 with a view to providing a regulatory framework for the co-ordination of projects, administration of subscriptions from members, the planning and conduct of meetings, formation and regulation of subsidiary bodies and committees, and accountability of the use of resources;

WHEREAS, the Parties have been exploring the establishment of the OpenWIS Association as a body with legal personality separate from its members with a view to increasing its efficiency, improving its representation of members’ views, and establishing the capacity to present project proposals and to sign contracts or agreements in its own name with third parties to advance the collective objectives of its members;

NOW, THEREFORE, the undersigned have agreed to establish an International Non-Profit Organization governed by the laws of Belgium, particularly Title III of the Act of 27 June 1921 on non-profit organizations, foundations and international non-profit organizations (hereinafter, the “Act”), and by the present Articles of Association.

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